(B)NowIdliketotalktoyouaboutyo-优题课

I’m a pig, and my son is a rabbit. I have snakes for daughters, and my wife, believe it or not, is a dragon! Do I live in a zoo? No, of course not! I am talking about Chinese zodiac signs. Depending on the year of your birth, each person has an animal for a sign. That’s why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon. If you, like me, were born in the year of the pig, then you are brave, thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune.
　　Now let’s take a closer look at this interesting animal.
　　Pigs were first raised by man about 9,000 years ago, and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don’t just use pigs for their meat — almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists’ brushes. The fat is used to make floor wax, rubber and plastics.
　　Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film ‘Babe’ starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated for 6 more. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money for charity by holding pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don’t just want to eat pigs, it seems!
　　Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example, if someone says that he will travel to the sun one day, you can say “pigs might fly!” to him. Hungry? Well then, you can “pig out” and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you? Well, you can say that they “saved your bacon”.
63. The writer wrote the first paragraph in a ______ tone.
A. sad　　　　　　B. confused　　　　　C. serious　　　　 D. humorous
64. We may know from the passage that ______.
A. people in England like pigs more than other animals
B. pigs are more useful than ordinary people imagine
C. pigs are the first animals raised by man
D. more people don’t want to eat pigs now
65. The underlined sentence “pigs might fly! ” in the fifth paragraph means ______.
A. What you have just said is impossible
B. Pigs are great animals
C. I don’t understand your words
D. I can’t agree with you more
66. Which diagram shows the structure of the passage?
　　　　　　　　
　　　　　A 　　　　　　　　B 　　　　　　　C　　　　　　　　　 D

The Hollywood Reporter on Friday named Oprah Winfrey the most powerful woman in entertainment on its annual “Power 100 List”.
Winfrey, whose “Oprah” talk show began in national syndication 22 years ago, played a role in the victory of President-elect Barack Obama by praising him early in his run and by supporting him throughout the campaign.
Elizabeth Guider, editor of The Hollywood Reporter, remarked on Winfrey’s “great cultural influence” and said she could be “the most influential woman in America”.
Winfrey, 54, jumped from the No.6 spot on the entertainment trade paper’s 2007 list to No.1 this year. The Hollywood Reporter noted that a study by University of Maryland economists found Winfrey’s support for Obama won him more than l million votes nationwide.
Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Inc., made $ 345 million last year. She manages an empire that includes her TV show, a magazine and an online’ store.
Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television Group, was given the No.2 spot on the list after coming in top a year ago. Sweeney manages her company’s news, entertainment and daytime divisions, along with its cable and publishing branches.
Amy Pascal, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, won the No.3 spot on the list.
Other women listed included actress Angelina Jolie, at No.24, who has strengthened her public image with charity efforts; comedian Tina Fey, No.51, in part for playing Sarah Palm, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, in wildly popular TV impersonations (扮演) during the election campaign; and 16-year-old pop star Miley Cyrus, who rounded out the list at No.100.
59. What did Elizabeth Guider think of Oprah Winfrey?
A. She played a great part in helping Obama winning the election.
B. She deserved to be the most powerful woman in politics.
C. She made a great contribution to American culture.
D. She managed her company’s news and entertainment programs very well.
60. Which of the following is true about Winfrey?
A. Her support for Obama helped him greatly in his winning the election.
B. She was once chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.
C. She rose to No. 2 on the entertainment trade paper’s 2007 list.
D. She was a Hollywood reporter 22 years ago.
61. What is Tina Fey famous for?
A. She supported pop star Miley Cyrus.
B; She played Sarah Palm in popular TV programs.
C. She made great efforts to help the needy.
D. She took over an empire that includes TV show, a magazine and an online store.
62. Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of the passage?
A. The Hollywood Reporter chose its 100 most powerful women.
B. How Hollywood helped Obama and Sarah Palm.
C. Harpo Inc, made $ 345 million last year.
D. Oprah Winfrey, the most powerful woman in entertainment.

第三部分阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，共30分。）
阅读下列短文，从每题中的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
A NATIONWIDE BESTSELLER
It’s likely that everything you learned about America’s ancient history is wrong.
The new book, 1491, completely changes our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.
DID YOU KNOW?
When Columbus landed there were probably more people in the Americas than there were in Europe.
The peoples of North America had such healthy life-styles that as late as the 19th century they continued to be the tallest people on earth.
Facts have shown that the Americas were populated as long as 33,000 years ago.
4,000 years ago Mesoamerican farmers developed corn in a feat (技艺) of genetic engineering that still isn’t completely understood.
COMMENTS ON 1491
“In the tradition of Jared Diamond & John McPhee, a totally new view of pie-Columbian America” --Richard Rhodes
“Attractively written and really absorbing ... Charles C. Mann has produced a book that’s part detective story, part epic (史诗) and part tragedy. He has taken on a vast topic: thousands of years, two huge continents, and cultures.”
-- Charles Matthews, San Jose Mercury News
“Powerful and challenging”
--Alan Taylor, Washington Post
“A pleasure to read as well as a wonderful education” -- Howard Zinn
56. On the whole, 1491 is a book mainly about America’s_______ .
A. life-styles B. population C. history D. agriculture
57. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the comments on the book 1491 ?
A. It is interesting and instructive. B. It is attractive and culturally related
C. It is challenging and revolutionary. D. It is humorous and persuasive.
58. From this passage, we can learn______ .
A. people settled in the Americas a little earlier than 1492
B. North Americans were the tallest in the 18th century in the world
C. Mesoamerican farmers knew genetic engineering 5,000 years ago
D. the population in the Americas was smaller than that in Europe in 1492

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND—A British teaching union famous for strange ideas has supported a proposal to employ dogs as classroom assistants.
At the annual conference of the Professional Association of teachers in Southport, northwest of England, one person suggested properly trained dogs be able to keep order in primary schools. They can round up lost children and protect those who experience unfortunate “accidents”. Wendy Dyble, a Shetland Islands woman who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her fellow friends that she was not “barking mad”. They obviously believed her, supporting her idea by 16 votes to 13, with a total of 63 abstentions(弃权票).
She said big dogs could help round up children, keep them in line, lick up the milk they spill on the floor and provide the extra eyes that a teacher needs to keep order. “A big dog would also be helpful for breaking up fights and look for lost property, like gym shoes or dolls,” Dyble said at the conference. “The dog will also be useful in sniffing out smells that children do not own up to,” she added. “It would be nice for the teacher not to have to go round sniffing each child to find the culprit（犯过者）.”
The idea was greeted by the Dog Defense League but less so by bigger teaching unions. A spokesman for Education Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog was always popular with pupils when he visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with around 35,000 members, is the smallest teaching union in Britain. It has an honour for occasional strange ideas.
Earlier this week, its annual conference here suggested stopping exams because they lead to stress and introducing selection at the age of 12 based on physical coordination and manual skill in the use of hand.
51. According to the writer's opinion, to employ dogs as classroom assistants________
A. is a wonderful idea
B. can improve the relation between children and animals
C. is beyond ordinary people's minds
D. can make some teachers lose jobs
52. The phrase “own up to” in the third paragraph means_________
A. admire B. admit C. dislike D. interest
53. What Dyble said at the conference___________.
A. gained some support from the members B. frightened everyone at the conference
C. interested everyone at the conference D. caused some trouble to trained dogs
54. A spokesman for Education Secretary .
A. once used a dog as classroom assistant B. sang high praise for Dyble's idea
C. would employ dogs as teachers D. benefited from dogs more than others
55. The last paragraph of this passage .
A. has nothing to do with the topic of this passage
B. shows there are too many exams in British school
C. provides further facts about the teaching union
D. shows the writer's anger to the union

Fireworks explosions killed many people and injured hundreds more in China as the 2006 traditional Lunar New Year celebrations led to much disorder as well as joy across the nation.
At a temple fair in Henan, 36 people were killed on New Year's Day when a nearby storeroom full of fireworks exploded. The accident, caused by 3 children who threw burning fireworks into the storeroom, injured up to 48 people.
In the capital, Beijing, where a 12-year ban on Lunar New Year fireworks had just been lifted, the government reported 112 people were treated at hospital emergency rooms over the weekend for fireworks-related injuries.
"On New Year's Eve alone, we had more than 40 injuries and among them there were around a dozen people with serious injuries," hospital assistant director，Tian Jian said. In China's south-western city, Chongqing, where the fireworks ban was also lifted after 12 years, firefighters rushed to put out nearly 200 fires caused by fireworks on New Year's Eve.
A ban on fireworks, which are traditionally believed to ward off evil spirits and ghosts trying to enter New Year, was put in place across 200 cities in China due to safety and environmental pollution concerns. The ban was lifted in Beijing and many other cities in 2006.
However, despite the fireworks disorder, China's 1.3 billion people were largely enjoying the festival, with celebrations to continue throughout all of this week-long public holiday.
46. In which year were fireworks forbidden in Beijing and Chongqing?
A. In 1990 B. In 1992 C. In 1994 D. In 1995
47. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. The origin of fireworks during the Spring Festival
B. The cause of lifting the ban on fireworks.
C. The direct cause of the fireworks explosion in Henan.
D. The number of injuries caused by fireworks in Chongqing.
48. The underlined phrase" ward off" in the fifth paragraph means ________.
A. prevent B. set off C. allow D. burn down
49. Which of the following is the very reason why fireworks were banned in China?
A. Noise pollution B. Waste of money
C. Air pollution D. Possible injury and death
50. The purpose of writing the passage is to ________.
A. warn people of the great danger of fireworks
B. report the number of fireworks deaths and injuries during the festival
C. report that fireworks cause more fires and injuries than deaths
D. Advise people to keep away from fireworks